Cube your enthusiasm
Its sales may not have been the strongest but this classic Nintendo console is still worth celebrating
IT’S a massive year for Nintendo with several of its most beloved games and consoles celebrating major milestones.
June marked 25 years since the debut of the Nintendo 64, and this week sees the 20th anniversary of the Gamecube – one of the gaming giant’s most underrated consoles.
Released in Japan in September 2001, European fans had to wait eight more months to get their hands on the hardware, and when they did it was a little underwhelming.
But the tiny little cube belied the power within.
The Gamecube was Nintendo’s first console to use optical discs, in the form of cute little minidvds – the idea being that they would be harder to pirate.
But as adorable as they were, it meant the system was not able to play full-sized DVDS or audio CDS, something its Xbox and Playstation rivals could easily do.
It also offered limited support for online gaming – which was admittedly in its infancy in 2001 – with owners having to buy a modem adapter. The easiest way to access multiplayer was to use the console’s infamous carry handle to simply take it round to your mate’s house.
Where it did shine though, was the games it offered.
Animal Crossing, Luigi’s Mansion, and Metroid Prime all started life on the Gamecube, and Resident Evil 4, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, and Super Monkey Ball were all originally released as Gamecube exclusives.
Ultimately though, it went on to be Nintendo’s worst selling console, a title it really didn’t deserve.
If you have a Gamecube gathering dust in the loft, and want to break it out for some anniversary fun, these are the games you should be diving straight back into.
Metroid Prime (PEGI 12)
Samus was back for her fourth Metroid instalment, and to be brutally honest, there weren’t high hopes for it.
The first in the series to use 3D graphics and to be played from the first-person perspective, it’s now considered one of the greatest games of all time.
With rich planets that begged to be explored, and challenging puzzles presented in the manner of a first-person shooter, Metroid emerged as a fresh, vibrant franchise that still thrills to this day.
Resident Evil 4 (PEGI 18)
Released on the Gamecube in 2005, this sixth major instalment in the Resident Evil series is considered the best.
Its arrival saw a sweeping reinvention of the series, and is credited with popularising the “over-the-shoulder” thirdperson perspective.
Focusing on action and shootouts with fewer survival horror elements, and ‘quick time’ events which sees you having to press buttons indicated on-screen to execute actions such as dodging a boulder or wrestling an enemy.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (PEGI 7)
In a huge departure for the series, this 10th instalment in The Legend of Zelda series set the action on a group of islands in a vast sea. Gone was Link’s horse for travelling around the map, instead using a boat – the King of Red Lions – which moves around the oceans using the winds.
The game’s art style was also vastly different from what had gone before, but the bright, Disneyesque graphics have aged remarkably well.
Luigi’s Mansion (PEGI 3)
A launch title for the Gamecube in 2001, the series is also celebrating its 20th anniversary this week.
It was only the second game in the Mario series to be missing the eponymous plumber, and is credited with helping to drive strong sales for the newly launched console. And while the fun graphics and gameplay win praise to this day, it’s disappointingly short.
Still, a great title to dust off to get in the mood for spooky October.